There are more resources than ever before to post a job description in order to fill an open position at your company. Your local newspaper, school bulletin boards and online job forums are just some of the places you can post an opening. However, you need to make sure that your listing contains crucial, relevant information so that the right people apply. You want to attract talented, qualified individuals to apply while deterring individuals who do not possess the right skills. It is hard enough to go through all those resumes, and it gets even harder when a good chunk of them are from people who should not have applied in the first place. Make things easier on yourself by following the example of our sales assistant job description sample below.
Sales Assistant Job Summary
As the sales assistant, you will be responsible for reporting to both the marketing and sales departments. We will need you to investigate, track and report all sales data. If any problems come up, you will be tasked with resolving the issue.
Sales Assistant Job Responsibilities and Duties
- Resolve inventory and order issues by investigating the problem and coming up with a viable solution
- Update your manager about the daily action summary
- Maintain our customer database by inputting bill-back data and invoices
- Provide product information to customers who ask for it
- Prepare sales presentations by developing materials and acquiring data
- Track all sales expenses and forward the data to the proper department for reimbursement
- Provide projections by studying sales trends and forward tracking reports to the manager
- Determine pricing discrepancies by researching the product at other sources and forward a solution to the manager
Sales Assistant Skills and Qualifications
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office
- Customer service skills
- Able to work within a team dynamic
- Administrative writing knowledge
- Expertise in data entry
- Professional personality
Company Profile
AMT Networks is looking for a hard working sales assistant to join our team. We have been providing quality programming across the country since 1963, and we are only getting started. We have some big plans going forward, and we need individuals who are looking for a business to grow with.
Writing a Job Description Best Practices
- The sales assistant job description sample given above is a good place to start, but you should customize your own to describe what you need out of an employee. In case you need a few more guidelines, here are some dos and don’ts to remember the next time you have a job description to write.
- Do use details. You do not want to have a job description that could theoretically be used by someone else. While you want to keep the listing a manageable length, include details that are relevant to your needs.
- Do include bullet points. As can be seen in the sample given, bullet points are an excellent way to make the page more readable. You do not want several sections that are all just a bunch of lengthy paragraphs.
- Do show the description to a current sales assistant. You may have a general idea of what sales assistants do, but someone who actually does the work for your company will have a better sense of the responsibilities that need to be completed most often. Your current roster of sales assistants will tell you if something could be removed or if something vital needs to be added.
- Do check with your company’s policy first before mentioning anything about salary or benefits. Certain organizations are adamant against divulging that information. However, if there is no policy against it, then it is well worth it to mention it if it is competitive. Talented employees will be interested in getting a fair salary and health benefits, so it can be in your best interest to include that material.
- Do research into the best SEO practices. Incorporating keywords and optimizing your description for search engines is the best way to make job seekers find the post in the first place. If you need some help in this area, then you can consult with SEO professionals to see what they have to say.
- Do not forget to include the necessary contact information. All the details in the world will not do you any good if people are unaware of how to apply.
Remember the old saying: “You get out what you put in.” If you take the time to write a stellar job description, then you will attract better candidates.
Sales Assistant Job Responsibilities
Attracting great candidates ultimately does not depend on the position the job description is for. It actually comes down to the content you provide in the job listing. When you write a sales assistant job description, the most important thing is to add value to the position to make applicants know they will provide value to the organization. A major part of achieving that involves listing out the various tasks the person will need to do on a regular basis.
You want to validate all the sales assistant job responsibilities and only mention those most needed for the business. You do not necessarily have to get too specific with the tasks. In fact, you want to avoid having a sales assistant job description with a bunch of lengthy paragraphs and convoluted sentences. Instead, you should use bullet points to list everything in the job responsibilities section. If you want to throw in more specific information, then you can mention the people the person will work with regularly.
Some good example responsibilities to put in the listing include
- Describe products and explain how to use each item
- Watch for potential security risks and handle instances of theft according to company guidelines
- Maintain sales records and make bank deposits weekly
- Recommend items to customers based on what they are looking for
Sales Assistant Job Specifications
Writing out key sales assistant job specifications in the job qualifications and skills section does more than weed out underqualified jobseekers. It also weeds out overqualified individuals, too. While it may sound nice to have someone overqualified working for your business, the truth of the matter is that this person is probably not going to feel fulfilled. You want to avoid having a high level of employee turnover, so you want to reach that happy medium with your applicants. Mentioning aptitudes and traits useful for the job lets people know what they should come in with.
There are a few ways to know what skills to include in your sales assistant job description. First, you can go online and search through similar descriptions. You will likely find common qualifications on each one. Additionally, you can discuss the job listing with people currently at your company who work as sales assistants. They would be happy to go over the education and training needed to excel in this line of work.
Here are some good qualifications to put on a sales assistant job description:
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Excellent customer service skills
- Conflict-resolution abilities
- Friendly speaking voice over the phone
- A clean, professional appearance maintained at all times